


Oft In the Woods is a Listener Nigh

by Miriena



Category: Metalocalypse (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Based on the movie The Ritual, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Horror, Human Sacrifice, Human/Monster Romance, Impalement, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, Monsters, Mutilation, Strangers to Lovers, Violence, and being dorks, deity worship, mentions of abuse, monsters learning about humans, toki protection squad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-04 22:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15850284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miriena/pseuds/Miriena
Summary: Heavily inspired by The Ritual----Man and Gods cannot live peacefully along side one another unless there is a sacrifice willing to be made. Gods will protect man as long as they give in return. That is the truth of these woods.If the price for peace with a god is so high, then how high is the price for the love of one?





	1. Routine

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've written a full fic, so please bare with me! There are bound to be some spelling errors that I've missed as long as some other mistakes.  
> There's art that goes along with this fic at miriena.tumblr.com  
> Sorry if the first chapter is short!

      The cold forests of Sweden's mountains grew dim as the sun began to settle below the horizon line. Grey trees were adorned with the orange light of the sunset that managed to escape the fog that hung around the tree tops. It was quiet. There were few noises to be heard: a couple of birds tweeted blissfully in the trees and the firm, hoofed footsteps of the god that resided there thudded heavily against the dirt. He was making his rounds about the forest, long silken hair gleaming in the last light of the day that seeped through the trees. His head hung low and his long torso aligned itself parallel with the ground.Night was soon to be upon him, and there was work to be done. 

      Darkness had arrived. It was time to pass judgement onto the living that also lived along side him. Man and Gods cannot live peacefully along side one another unless there is a sacrifice willing to be made. Gods will protect man as long as they give in return. That is the truth of these woods. He must follow this truth. His eyes shown bright in the dark, mane creating a type of shadow box for them to be featured in. Trees created a maze for him to navigate through. Signs of life started to show up along his path. Trees had been robbed of their branches. Animal traps were strewn about. The sounds of movement and hushed talking caught his attention and he moved towards it through the large, bare trees. He came up on an opening in the wood. There was a small camp of villagers hastily rallying around the edge of the tree line. An deer had been brought to the front of the gathering, splayed out in a sacrificial manner.They knew he would come. He knew what they were planning. 

      Heavy hooves lurched his bony frame forward towards the suspecting crowd. A hush fell over them as all attention was turned towards the god. They dropped to their knees and bowed immediately. Glowing eyes watched them give their respects as hastily as they could, but he already knew about the outlier. There was one who was doubtful. An example was to be made of them. That was part of the sacrifice that must be made. He ignored the poor animal that was left as a make-shift decoy. The crowd stayed still in fear as the god stepped between them towards a young girl than had refused to kneel down. She was watching him, a stern look on her face. This one was apparently tired of sacrificing all of her kin to him, she explained as he stood before her. So be it. She wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. He stood, now eye to eye with her. Fear was visible on her face, though she refused to back down. Emotionless eyes bore into her, never looking away.

     Two long, thin arms reached out to her. His hands caressed her face and brushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear. She looked like she would have been such a beautiful sacrifice. It was too bad. Becoming a proper sacrifice was supposed to be an honor. Maybe being an example would be more suited to this young lady's tastes.  
One of the two hands that so gently graced the woman's face now firmly planted itself around her neck. It squeezed as he lifted her off the ground to face him as he stood tall. She choked out a desperate gasp. Yelling and kicking the best she could, she attempted to break free. The god walked back through the crowd, a hoof kicking the deer carcass back towards them and stopping at the tree line. None of them dared look upon them now. It was clear what they had done and what was going to be done to the girl he now held tightly in his grasp.

     Flesh was ripped and blood was drained. Red muscle was exposed as his hands ripped through her tissue, dissecting her diaphragm. Blood gushed and ran down the length of his arms. The snaps of bones being broken and creaking of them being pulled open where accompanied by pained screams that quickly were snuffed out. The girl's organs fell limp out of her body, dangling out of the gaping hole in her abdomen. Everyone must see what she is made of. They must learn what not to be. A god should be worshiped and not disrespected. Her dead body was hoisted upwards and hung in the trees, body pierced by the bare limbs that protruded from them. He turned around and faced them all. Words in a forgotten language rang out in a thick voice. A warning that none could read but everyone could understand. He was everywhere, and he was watching. His work was done. He turned and left without a further sound.

     Sobbing and muffled murmuring was all he heard after he stalked through back into the dark forest. A woman was loudly crying and pleading for her daughter's life. Let her be a reminder to those pitiful people that accompanied him here. They should all be afraid of him. He always listened. 

     As he walked on through the darkness of the night, saw another house. It was a good distance away from the village he had just paid a visit to. A straggler from the group. He'd never seen it before. Must have been new. Fire illuminated the area around the house, coming from a small fire pit surrounded by logs. The god strode over to the treeline surrounding the house to look around. No one was outside. His antlers made a scrapping noise against the wood of the trees as he approached the building. He peered into the window of the cabin. It was empty as well. There was a small bed inside and it was obviously lived in. This person was not tidy.

     How had a person been living out here without him taking notice? Maybe the inhabitants had built the house recently. Then where was this human? He walked into the clearing and stopped before the blaze. There was no sounds in the wood around him. It felt abandoned. If no one was around then maybe he could take a moment to reflect. The fire burned calmly as he sat down beside it, tucking his hooves under his weight. The warmth radiated from the fire and kissed his cold skin. It was such a foreign feeling to him. He never needed this warmth, even in the dead winter. Food and warmth were unnecessary for him. It was a hindrance on mankind that he did not possess.

     Moments passed before the god decided he had stayed too long. He rose and looked around once more. No one was around. He'd have to check in on this house later. Light from the fire escaped his view as he left it behind. The sound of his hooves treading upon the earth was as quiet as they had been when he arrived. He disappeared back into the trees and left the empty living area to be empty once more. 


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A man becomes a sacrifice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! I tried to make this chapter longer, but I can't keep myself focused for that long.  
> There are going to be spelling/grammar errors.  
> I will try my best to fix them when I can.

Day had broken. A heavy fog lay dormant along the forest floor, shimmering in the morning light. The god now arose from his resting spot to begin his morning routine. A stream ran nearby and he now moved towards it. As he approached with his antlers catching the moss on the trees that grew along the banks, the sound of music caught his attention. The quick plucking of strings filled the air. Curiosity got the best of him and he poked his head through the brush to find the origin of the noise. A man sat on the bank of the stream, water bucket at his feet. The music he was playing came from the lyre his held in his hands.  


A soft rumble made itself present in the god's throat. Never had he seen this man before. He'd thought that he'd remember a face with such awful facial hair planted in the middle of it. A pair of swallows gathered on his antlers, happily chirping away. He was well camouflaged in the hanging moss of the tree he peered through.  


The birds' singing must have caught the attention of the man across the stream. He hopped over it and creeped slowly towards them. The god closed his eyes in concern of them giving him away. The man whistled a mimicked bird call, which was reciprocated by the swallow. He smiled to himself and pushed a lock of long, brown hair behind his ear.  


"Is it already times for the warmer months to begin," he asked in a hushed whisper towards the birds. His icy eyes watched them as they hopped merrily from point to point on the god's antlers.  


The god dared not to move and scare away this new human that had found his way into his woods. The local flora was his friend here. The forest concealed him and he hoped to keep it that way.  


A twig snapped under the man's weight and the birds flew away, frightened. It was too bad. They were the first swallows that the god had seen that year. Warmer months were to be upon them soon. It was almost time for the greatest sacrifice of all to be made.  


The man that had stood before him backed away to retrieve his belongings. The god opened his eyes and watched. Even if he wasn't pleasing to spy upon, he wasn't half bad at playing his lyre and he secretly hoped that the human would continue to play.  


Instead, he gathered his lyre and water bucket in his arms and turned to leave. As he walked away, a hoof snapped a twig. He looked back, searching for the noise. The god remained motionless. The man decided that it was nothing and continued on his way into the brush.  


Of course, the god followed, curious about this new being in his woods. It became clear why the cabin from the night before had shown up out of nowhere. This new human lived there, he discovered as he came up upon the wooden house. He stayed behind the trees and out of view. His white eyes watched as this human put away his water bucket and picked up an ax. It should be amusing to watch this vile thing try to chop wood.  


The god was proven wrong. With a hefty swing, the wood was split clean in half. A curious development on his part. Maybe this man wasn’t as useless as he looked. He grunted with each swing, unaware of the show he was putting on for a very unexpected guest.  


Another chop kept the god watching interested. His mind began to wonder to unexpected areas and he hoped that this man would last until the summer months. He’d make for an adequate sacrifice after all. However, he’d need to be the one that would come so willingly. It was time for an introduction.  


Hooves crossed the threshold of the property, stepping over roots jutting from the ground. The god stood slouched over, as he did the night before. There was no need to be casual here. Cold air swarmed around him, making his very presence known. The forest floor below him sounded hollow as he tread forward.  


With little to no expectancy, the man turned around to look for the source of the heavy thumping. He was met with cold, emotionless eyes staring straight through him. The wind whistled through the morning air. Realization struck him, sending him scurrying to kneel down where he stood.  


This was odd. The god wasn’t a stranger to this human, and yet, he was a stranger to the god. Perplexed, he stood looking at the kneeling man in front of him, waiting for anything.  


“Forgives me, I didn’ts know yous were here,” he said with a hurried voice. Him speaking directly to the deity stunned the god. How dare he speak to him so directly, and without any disrespect. He should slaughter him like that example that he did the passed night. Instead, he waited longer. What was so different about this one?  
The man stayed knelt down, face alined with the ground. He didn’t move or glance up like so many before. The god spoke, turning the atmosphere into a tense one. Such a language was not known to this human, it seemed. The villagers did not know it either, but they learned quickly how to identify a warning.  
He spoke once more, asking for a name. The man flinched at the deafening speech. There was no answer. So be it. He’d find out soon enough. There was no need to show him who he was, since he appeared to already know. It was useless to grace this human with his presence any longer, so he walked heavily passed his kneeling form and back into the woods.  


It was a miracle he wasn’t killed instantly. Sitting back up, the man looked back towards the trees. The deity was nowhere to be seen. He breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn’t even made it to midday and he’d already come face to face with fate. Something in the back of his mind told him that it wouldn’t be the last time those ghostly eyes greeted his.  
Rising to his feet, he brushed off his knees. It was back to work for him. Even if the summer was coming, the spring was still there to bring the cold. He grabbed his ax that he’d discarded so quickly and got into it, humming a soft tune as he worked.  


A loud thwack rung out into the forest, reaching the god’s ears. If he had a mouth, he would smile to himself. It seemed that he had picked a capable candidate for sacrifice. Although, he was still curious as to why and how this candidate knew what he was. The living had become an odd sort as of late. They had become bolder and smarter. It was time to be weary of this before it became an issue too large for himself to handle.  


It was time for a god to become aware of his subjects.


End file.
